Category Archives: Book Promos

I don’t know about you guys, but I am so ready for Christmas this year! With the Keepers of the Wellsprings series finished, it’s my first holiday in a while that hasn’t had me partly distracted by Azi, Tib, or Celli. In fact, the group is so far from my mind that I nearly forgot about Snowberry Blossom!

Snowberry Blossom is a short story which takes place in between books 2&3, on Midwinter’s Eve. I wrote it as an introduction to the characters and world they live in. It’s always free, and it’s available wide, including iBooks, Nook, Kindle, Kobo, and other platforms: https://www.books2read.com/u/4X9XNb

Author V.M. Sawh had this to say about the story:

This little story by Missy Sheldrake is the literary equivalent of having a warm cup of Spiced Apple Tea in front of a fireplace while watching the Neverending Story on a snowy winter’s afternoon.
Got that?
Good. Now go pick up this short story. It’s gorgeous new cover art is Christmas-decoration-pretty and the writing is rich and inviting with clear descriptions, surprisingly well-rendered characters (for such a short length) and an engaging little story.

Today only, November 29, 2017, in celebration of the completion of the series, I’m offering books 1-4 for free!

Click the pic to visit the series page on Amazon

When I wrote this series, my hope was to capture a world that would enchant my readers and bring them to a place they’ve never been before. To me, the joy of reading is the escape of it. Growing up, I had few friends. I imagined them in the forests where I wandered, as fairies, and I imagined them in the pages of books.

In the Keepers of the Wellsprings, my hope was to create friends that would capture my readers’ hearts, just as those in the books I’ve read have done for me. Finishing the series has been bittersweet. I’m relieved to have been able to tie up to so many strands of the story so neatly, but it’s sad to say goodbye to these characters who seem so real now.

Rest assured, though, I don’t think I’m finished with these folks just yet. I intend to take a break, but there are so many stories to write, yet, from the world of the Wellsprings.

Blog Tour

Special thanks to my friends who have agreed to participate in my blog tour! Please swing by and check out these fabulous authors:

The epic conclusion to the Keepers of the Wellsprings series is almost here, and you know what that means: It’s time for a cover reveal!

If you’re familiar with the series so far, you know that I have illustrated designed all of the covers myself. It has always been important to me to make sure each cover is unique enough to be attractive on its own, but consistent enough with the rest of the series that it looks like a series when all of the books are displayed together.

To do this, I really thought about color, giving each book its own unique palette and tone. I knew Kythshire, for example, would be blue and gold, because those colors appear prominently in the book. They’re the colors of Azi’s guild, and the colors of the golden field she visits in Kythshire.

For Call of Sunteri, I chose red for the dye fields Tib escaped, and gold for the wings of a prominent fairy in the book. I won’t say who, just in case you haven’t read it yet!

For Call of Brindelier, it had to be purple for the mystery and majesty of the hidden kingdom of Brindelier, and gold, of course. This time, for Azi.

For Call of Hywilkin, I knew I wanted flame orange and yellow to represent the fiery mountain of Kerevorna, and the wings of its Keeper had to be very distinct. I also wanted it to feel quite ominous because of the dark, dramatic tone of this book.

Finally, here we are at Elespen! As the final book in the series, I hoped to make this cover really stand out. This book and its cover had to feel like a triumph. I wanted it to feel mysterious and creepy, but also bright and hopeful. I painted the wings to seem like they could be a butterfly in a rain forest jungle, and gave them eyes to make them curious and interesting. It was important that the green felt like a jungle, with all of the wonder and danger that the idea of a jungle invokes. I wanted it to feel ambiguously good and evil, beautiful, and unnerving. My favorite part about this cover is how the area beneath the wings feels like a portal into a strange blue sky or tropical water, which happened accidentally as I was painting it.

Without further delay, here it is, the cover reveal of Call of Elespen!

I’m still planning on releasing the book in the later part of November. I promise to keep you updated! In the meantime, you can download Call of Kythshire for free today, in celebration of my cover release! Enjoy!

The epic conclusion of the Keepers of the Wellsprings is coming soon! To celebrate, tomorrow, I’ll be revealing the cover of Call of Elespen, Keepers of the Wellsprings, Book Five and offering Call of Kythshire, Book One, for free! Keep an eye here for details and news!

The more I write, the more excited I am to share the next installment of the Keepers of the Wellsprings with all of you. Call of Elespen is currently up to 79,533 words and counting. I’m about to start chapter 24 this morning, and I thought I’d pop in quickly to say hello and let everyone know I’m still here and I’m definitely still writing!

Here’s my favorite tiny snippet from a recent chapter:

“Rescue?” she whispers.
For a long stretch of silence, she looks me over. Her halfhearted gaze slowly drifts into the vast space above us. I follow, looking up into the chute as far as I can before the walls are swallowed into shadow. She doesn’t have to say a word. The hopelessness she feels hangs heavy in the air around us.
“Even if you could,” she sighs, “to what end?”

I won’t tell you who’s doing the rescue or who’s getting rescued, but I will share with you this sketch, which will definitely appear in the final version:

Call of Elespen is the fifth and final book of the Keepers of the Wellsprings series, due out this November. I’ll be announcing a release date and cover reveal soon, so keep checking back here for updates.

One last thing! Call of Kythshire, book one of the series, will be free to download on Amazon September 12, so if you want to dive into the series before the last book is released, be sure to grab your copy! See you soon!

I had so much fun with the last contest, I decided to offer another one! Enter to win a signed paperback copy of Call of Kythshire (or another book in the Keepers of the Wellsprings series, if you already have that one), AND a print of your choice. I have 8.5″ x 12″ prints of either Flitt, or Tib’s ship up for grabs. These are matted in a 12″ x 16″ white mat.

AND THIS:

***UPDATE***

I’ve added more options to enter! Participants can visit me on Facebook or Instagram, send a tweet, or make a comment on the blog post linked in the contest! Good luck!

I decided it was high time I had a contest, so here ya go! You can enter to win one print of your choice (out of the two shown above), AND a signed paperback copy of Call of Kythshire! No purchase necessary, but you do have to live in the continental US. Just click here to visit the contest on rafflecopter to enter!

The contest ends July 8 at midnight EST. One lucky winner will be announced on my Facebook page Monday, June 10. Good luck!

That’s right! Today is my birthday and I’m offering Call of Kythshire for free on Kindle!

It’s the first book in my Keepers of the Wellsprings series, and if you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out! Follow knight-in-training Azaeli Hammerfel, squire of His Majesty’s Elite, on an adventure to uncover the root of the mysterious curse that has befallen her family. Are fairies to blame for her father’s mysterious madness and her mother’s disappearance, or is something far more sinister to blame?

His Majesty’s Elite

If you have read it, tell your friends! Call of Kythshire is free today only! Thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday! Here’s to fairy wishes for great adventures!

Listen, life is stressful. Sometimes we need an escape, and reading will give that you. Who needs a vacation when you can read a book and travel into worlds you never imagined? That’s the reason why I love books so much. They’re a journey into someone else’s life. An escape, just for a little while.

Some may turn up their noses at independently published books. I understand why. We’ve been conditioned to swarm to all the things everyone else likes. What’s the most popular laundry detergent? That’s the one I’m going to buy, then! Traditionally published books are the same. Publishers choose stories based on what they think will be the most popular plot. Whatever will sell best, that’s what they choose to publish. That’s why so many of the books you pick up in your bookstore seem so familiar.

Indie books are different. There’s no filter. No one is deciding for you what you think you’ll like. Indie authors write passionately about subjects close to their hearts. They write because they have stories to tell. They write things you might never have realized you wanted to read until you start, and you get swept up into their beautiful, detailed, intriguing, fast-paced, adventurous, wonderful stories.

Here are a few of my favorite examples of unconventional plots told by indie authors:

GG Atcheson’s The Legacy Series
This series is one I’m partial to, not just because I had a hand in making the cover. The author masterfully blends aliens and vampires into a fast-paced, compelling plot filled with unpredictable twists and turns. Yes, I did say aliens and vampires. Yes, it’s strange. Yes, it’s incredible. Book Three in the series is 99 cents until April 2. Get it!

VM’s Sawh’s Hontas (Good Tales for Bad Dreams Series)
V.M. is a wordsmith. His imagery is vivid and compelling. He takes fairy tales and legends we all know and love, and he twists them and spins them until they’re clever, gritty, and more real than our childhood stories could ever portray. My favorite of his was GR3T3L, a tale of two robots stranded on an unfamiliar planet. Hontas is free through the first, and I just added it to my Kindle.

Christina McMullen’s Dissonant (Eyes of the Sun Series)Okay, admittedly I haven’t read the Eyes of the Sun Series (yet). But I have read Christina’s superhero parody A Shot at the Bigtime, and her YA mashup Kind of Like Life is probably my favorite indie book so far. Her writing is cleverly conceived, combining so many plot twists, familiar tropes, and such a tongue-in-cheek approach to storytelling that I fell quickly in love with this author’s style. Dissonant is free March 31. It involves vampires and genetics. I’m dying to read it!

Why do indies offer their books for free? To get you hooked. To get eyes on their titles, and draw you in. It isn’t because they’re inferior to traditionally published books. On the contrary, indie books will draw you in like no other books will! I hope I’ve convinced you to explore this world for yourself. If so, it’s perfect timing! Support for Indie Authors is running a free and discount promo this weekend, where you can download over a hundred other titles for free or 99 cents! Click the image below for details, and check out the trailers beneath it for even more exciting titles!

Enchanted lands, magical creatures, fairies and witches and … space wizards? You bet! We’ve got all that and more for our Fellowship of Fantasy March ebook giveaway. Sixteen authors are offering sixteen adventures, along with a little something extra to make your month magical. Keep reading to learn more and get a closer look at a few books in the bundle.

Where Carpets Fly
by Elise Edmonds

Elina Faramar finally leaves her family’s flying carpet shop when her father reluctantly agrees she can take magic lessons in nearby Kamikan. Urban life promises adventure, and new friend Kara shows her the sights.

However, Elina soon sees a darker side of life: a foreigner arrested at the circus, forbidden schoolhouse rooms with odd comings and goings, and unsociable pupil Simeon’s shady deals at the docks. Everything seems connected to the volatile neighbouring country of Pallexon, but no one will tell her why.

When Elina and Simeon develop a magical mind link, he seems close to confiding in her. But an unexpected voyage takes Elina and Kara away from answers and towards unknown danger in Pallexon.

Alone in a strange country, with no identity papers, the situation rapidly turns into a nightmare when Kara is mistaken for a spy. With her own freedom at stake, Elina must rely on her wits and magic to save her friend and unravel the secrets of Pallexon.

Sunbolt
by Intisar Khanani

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.

Have a look at the entire collection of ebooks, and enter below to win them all–as well as a custom wand similar to the ones pictured here–for your very own.

Giveaway runs from March 2-17. The winner will be notified by email on March 18. [FoF reserves the right to substitute the custom wand with something of equal value for anyone outside the US or Canada.]